TheLab.ms Wiki

Board Meeting Minutes – August 8, 2023

1. Health and Safety - Dallas County remains in the green (low risk). - Members encouraged to report any unsafe or uncomfortable situations to leadership privately. - The board is investigating several concerns and reminds members the space is meant to be welcoming and secure.
2. Financial Status - Current funds: ~$25,000 in Truist bank, ~$160 in primary PayPal, small balance in secondary PayPal. - Still slightly cash flow negative, but very close to break-even. - Encouragement to recruit more members and continue promoting affordability.
3. Events and Attendance - Weekly Fiber Nights (Tuesdays) and Game Nights (Fridays) continue successfully. - Members are welcome to bring guests to events. - Events are not open to the general public long-term unless they become members. - Members interested in hosting regular events should coordinate with Jen, the Events Coordinator.
4. University Collaboration - UTDesign EPICS student project resumes this fall. - Initial meeting at UT Dallas on Aug 23. - Members who want to help should commit to asynchronous support via Discord or occasional in-person visits. - Volunteers are needed for ongoing mentorship and collaboration.
5. Robotics Club Idea - Suggestion to partner with local school robotics clubs for educational outreach. - Aimed at supporting STEM learning and hands-on experience. - Insurance and liability concerns raised—would likely require parents to stay during visits. - Board supports educational outreach as part of the lab’s nonprofit mission.
6. System and Tech Updates - Issues with WHMCS billing platform persist; still transitioning to a Stripe-based system. - New waiver system is in development and nearly ready. - Members will be asked to reauthorize subscriptions soon via Stripe. - New Moodle (education platform) and WikiJS (replacing Confluence) systems are live. - Volunteers needed to help migrate content to WikiJS.
7. Door Access System Migration - Keycloak integration for access control is underway. - A script error temporarily delayed full migration, but partial manual accounts are working. - Additional exports from WHMCS needed to complete the process.
8. Closing Notes - Members reminded to speak up about safety concerns. - Next leadership meeting scheduled for September. - Final thanks extended to volunteers, especially those supporting IT and platform development.

Meeting Summary

Summary of Board Meeting – August 8, 2023

• Health and safety emphasized, with leadership urging members to report concerns privately.
• Financials show near break-even status; member recruitment remains important.
• Fiber and Game Nights continue; guests are welcome with members.
• UTDesign EPICS collaboration resumes; volunteers needed to mentor student teams.
• Proposed idea to partner with local school robotics clubs for STEM outreach.
• Stripe billing and waiver systems are nearly ready to replace WHMCS.
• WikiJS will replace Confluence; content migration help requested.
• Keycloak door access system implementation is in progress.
• Leadership encourages transparency and community involvement.